On 15 Dec 2011 02:17:34 GMT, Han wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote in
:

I'm still researching this one to death:

1) Get a business expansion grant.
--This is a no-brainer, no cost, could take a couple years to get.
$50k to start.

or
2) Lease a much larger machine and have to rent shop space for it.
--This is the highest cost but at a lower interest rate. It also
presents the possibility of quicker ROI due to larger projects, but
those would take more expertise in software and hardware manipulation
prior to taking them on. Catch 22. $30-50k to start.

or
3) Buy the parts and software, then build my own smaller CNC router
with borrowed CC money. I'd have to clear out my own shop for it.
--It's the least monetary output but the highest interest. I could
start slowly and then expand into a larger machine as the money came
in. (I could turn the little guy into a laser or plasma cutter then.)
$4-6k to start.

Decisions, decisions, though I'm leaning toward the latter. Almost all
of the niches I'm considering breaking into could be done on a smaller
and potentially less precise machine.

You're forgetting #4
Get a home equity loan
My HELOC costs me 2.24%
No first mtg
CC's paid off every month

In effect, I'm using the HELOC as my cushion.

Thanks, Han, but I really don't want to put the house up as
collateral.

Egad. After reading the tidbits on Wiki, I won't be doing a HELOC,
even if they're still being done, or are being offered again.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_equity_line_of_credit
Not a happy article.

--
However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.
-- Sir Winston Churchill